1. Annual Ambassadors’ Conference The Hague, The Netherlands 4 September 2008 How serious are we about ownership? Javier Santiso Director and Chief Economist OECD Development Centre

2. Overview: How Serious are We About Ownership? ANNUAL AMBASSADORS’ CONFERENCE 1 The Principle of Ownership in 2008: Home Grown Solutions The Obstacles to Home-Grown Development Knowledge 2 3 Broader Ownership Beyond 2008 2

3. OECD Development Centre A series of Declarations highlight the importance of Ownership Monterrey Consensus 2002 –“Effective partnerships among donors and recipients are based on the recognition of national leadership and ownership of development plans”. Paris Declaration 2005 –Recipient countries must “exercise effective leadership over their development policies” and “coordinate development actions”. –The target: 75% of countries have “operational development strategies” by 2010 (evaluated by World Bank on the basis of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers). 1. The Principle of Ownership in 2008: Home-Grown Solutions

4. OECD Development Centre Some progress has been made 8 of 62 recipient countries surveyed have “largely developed” operational development strategies. Most countries (67 %) have “taken action” in putting one together. Source: Progress Report on Implementing the Paris Declaration, prepared for the Accra High- Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, 2008. 1. The Principle of Ownership in 2008: Home-Grown Solutions

5. OECD Development Centre But the Paris Declaration’s take on ownership is shaky 1.Ownership is a long-term process and requires actors outside central government to be engaged. 2.Ownership requires home-grown solutions. So: ownership cannot be measured only (or mostly) through PRSPs, which are drafted by central government and negotiated with strong donor input. Source: Discussions at our “Ownership in Practice” Workshop, led by more than 30 experts from developing countries (September 2007). 1. The Principle of Ownership in 2008: Home-Grown Solutions

6. OECD Development Centre Three obstacles 1.The development finance “non-system” strains weak capacities to take ownership. 2.Donors dominate development knowledge: knowledge is power. 3.Governance structures often prevent local policy debate. 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

7. OECD Development Centre The international “non-system” is expanding Global Programmes World Bank UNDP GFATM GAVI Global Environment Facility Fast Track Initiative/ Education for All … Others, e.g. Islamic Dev. Bank NGOs International NGOs Regional dev. banks & agencies UN Specialised Agencies National NGOs in donor countries National NGOs in developing countries Multilateral Donors IMF Public Private Other private non profit Private for profit DAC donors Incl. bilateral development banks and agencies Other OECD donors (non-DAC) Emerging donors Bilateral Donors Foundations Households (e.g. remittances and other private transfers) Firms Commercial Banks Private Investors Observer status in DAC EC 23 47 4 2 5 12 97 32 5 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

8. OECD Development Centre Financing mechanisms are multiplying Source: Financing Development 2008: Whose Ownership? OECD Development Centre Based on Kaul and Conceicao (2006) 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

9. OECD Development Centre Private donors are matching official aid budgets 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions Source: Koch, D. J., in Financing Development 2008: Whose Ownership? OECD Development Centre

10. OECD Development Centre Development knowledge remains donor-driven “ Northern donors and think tanks and Northern-controlled multilateral organizations dominate the development knowledge industry. In so doing they exert a major influence on the policies and decisions of governments in the South.” by Norman Girvan (University of the West Indies) from “Home-grown Solutions and Ownership” prepared for our Workshop on “Ownership in Practice” (27-28 Sep 2007) See: www.oecd.org/development/globalforumwww.oecd.org/development/globalforum 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

11. OECD Development Centre Donors continue to use ineffective policy conditions Conditions : have not been applied consistently are often inappropriate to local circumstances undermine local accountability structures 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions Source: Mold, A., and F. Zimmermann, A Farewell to Policy Conditionality, August 2008 OECD Development Centre

12. OECD Development Centre Donors fail to invest in Southern-based knowledge centres Of the annual $1.3 billion of ODA spent on development research, only 6 per cent goes to developing countries. Source: An Initiative to Strengthen Policy Analysis in Developing Countries, Rationale Paper for IDRC-Hewlett Think Tanks Initiative, 2006, based on OECD Creditor Reporting System. 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

13. OECD Development Centre Are NGOs better at fostering Southern views? Source: Koch DJ, in Financing Development 2008: Whose Ownership? OECD Development Centre Only 6 per cent of NGO Board members are from developing countries. 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

14. OECD Development Centre Private banks could also base more analysts in the South 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions

15. OECD Development Centre Developing countries lack think tanks 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions More than 70 per cent of the world’s 5000 think tanks are based in OECD countries. Source: Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (2007)

16. OECD Development Centre Southern think tanks lack resources 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions Source: Santiso, J. and Whitehead, L. (2006), Ulysses, the Sirens and the Art of Navigation: Political and Technical Rationality in Latin America, Working Paper No. 256, OECD Development Centre

17. OECD Development Centre But local thinking is vital for governance…and ownership! 2. The Obstacles to Home-Grown Solutions Source: OECD Development Centre, 2008, based on World Bank Governance Indicators (2007) and data from the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (2007).

18. OECD Development Centre Governments must broaden the policy debate Broader ownership means (also) engaging with parliaments, local authorities, civil society and the media. This requires: –Guaranteeing democracy and freedom of information –Reinforcing the role of national democratic institutions –Capacity development for non-state actors 3. Broader Ownership Beyond 2008

19. OECD Development Centre Donors should foster local knowledge production This means: Reviewing conditionality –Can performance-based conditions replace policy conditions? Supporting local research and think tanks –Endowments & core funding provide resources and promote independence. –Showing the way: Hewlett Foundation and IDRC Think Tank Initiative. 3. Broader Ownership beyond 2008

20. OECD Development Centre www.oecd.org/dev/publications/finance/2008 Financing Development 2008: Whose Ownership?

21. OECD Development Centre www.oecd.org/dev/aeo Comprehensive, country-by-country analysis of economic, social, political development Covers 35 countries: 87% of continent’s population; 95% of economic output Produced with African Development Bank, UNECA and 5 African thinks tanks OECD transferred leadership to African Development Bank with 2008 edition African Economic Outlook 2008: Technical Skills Development

22. OECD Development Centre African Economic Outlook impact Seminar on Capitol Hill Washington D.C, June 2008 International Forum on African Perspectives Paris, June 2008 EU-Africa Summit Lisbon, December 2007 TICAD Tokyo, May 2008 AfDB Annual Meeting Maputo, May 2008 International launch at AfDB Annual Assembly: 11 th May 2008 European launch: 13 th May 2008 Over 40 presentations on 4 continents within 3 months of publication

23. OECD Development Centre Thank you ! Further information: www.oecd.org/dev www.oecd.org/development/globalforum Javier.santiso@oecd.org